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It’s the time of the year again to wrap-up the year with the best in film; thus, it’s my turn to announce my choices for the best in 2010. The past year was by a large margin a much better year for movies and performances, just when I was about ready to throw in the towel! It was the first year in a while that I saw an increase in numbers of films seen, with almost over 100.

This was also a very good year for actors and independent films, so good that most of my choices are either independent and foreign, and both supporting categories have six nominees each–they were that good! Not to mention Javier Bardem’s formidably hunting performance. Plus two special categories: Best Musical Score and Rolling Credits nominees and winners.

OK, without further ado, here is the list of nominees and winners for the 2010 Rammy Awards–drum roll please:-):

Best Picture Biutiful *
Black Swan
The Ghost Writer
Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1
The Town

Best Actor
Ben Affleck for The TownJavier Bardem for Biutiful * (tie)Vincent Cassel for Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 * (tie)
Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
James Franco for 127 Hours

Best Actress
Maricel Alvarez for BiutifulAnnette Bening for The Kid’s Are All Right *
Katie Jarvis for Fish Tank
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Tilda Swinton for I Am Love
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale for The Fighter
John Hawkes for Winter’s BoneJeremy Renner for The Town *
Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech
Dylan Riley Snyder for Life During Wartime

This little British gem of a film, released in theaters the United States early this year and it’s without doubt the BEST film so far this year on my book!

The film employs a Ken Loach and Mike Leigh’s style of filmmaking and portrays socio-economic themes and classes of a segment of British culture, which proves to be in some cases, brutally honest. And honest is what the leading character is, played by a newcomer young girl, who is virtually unknown and has never acted before. Mia–as she goes by in the film–is truly a revelation! I believed her as Mia and what she was going through in her life.

Katie Jarvis–Mia--was ‘discovered’ when she was having a heated argument with her boyfriend across the platforms at Tilbury Town railway station. She had dropped out of school and was unemployed when she was cast in this film–her first motion picture.

The film’s title is a metaphor of Mia’s life, as her life feels like that of a ‘fish tank’, trapped. She decides to break out of that and explore life in her own terms: through dance, trying to save a horse, rebelling against her friends and mother, and finally finding trust in unknown men. The latter however, changes her life forever and where this experience leads her ends up forcing her to grow-up almost instantly.

Andrea Arnold, the writer and director of the film, remarkably succeeds in telling the story of a young teenager girl in working-class London, where life can be really harsh and people are forced to grow very fast and adapt to their conditions the best way possible to survive. The film proves to be bleak, but hopeful and redeeming in the end.

The film won multiple awards early this year and last year leading up to its release in US art-house theaters.

It won the ‘Jury Prize’ at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009

British Independent Film Award – best promising new comer actress and director

BAFTA Film Award – Outstanding British Film 2010

The film has released in DVD in England, but it’s release in the US is yet to be announced. As soon as it’s available I highly recommend anyone to watch it, as it’s REALLY worth seeing!

Fifteen-year-old Mia is in a constant state of war with her family, her school and her neighbors, without any constructive creative outlet for her energies save a secret love of hip-hop dancing. When she meets her party-girl mother’s charming new boyfriend Connor, she is amazed to find him returning her attention, and believes he can help her start to make sense of her life and eventually they have sex, after which he disappears from all their lives. When Mia tracks him down she finds that he has not been wholly honest with them and decides to take revenge, which almost ends in disaster. However, she does find consolation with Billy, a young traveller, after making up with her family.

For more details about this great indie film check out it’s website, become a fan of Facebook and follow it on Twitter for updates.